Grey Slayer Pack
Legion]] A Grey Slayer Pack, usually referred to simply as Grey Slayers, was a unique shock unit utilised exclusively by the Space Wolves Legion during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy eras of the late 30th and early 31st Millennia. These warriors had been conditioned to hold a near-suicidal disregard for danger and trained to exploit this to the fullest on the battlefield, pitting their courage and might where it would be most effective; in the very teeth of the foe, overwhelming opponents by sheer speed and ferocity of attack, both in hand-to-hand combat and in brutal short-ranged fire fights. Grey Slayer war-packs gradually came to comprise the bulk of the core infantry of the VI Legion by the time of the Battle of Prospero campaign in 004.M31. History ]] When the VI Legion's gene-sire Leman Russ took over the reins of his Legion, the Space Wolves had begun to change -- to become a singular hybrid of Fenris' unforgiving and ruthless way of battle and the patterns of more recognisably Imperial military doctrine that had come before. This new Space Wolves Legion was truly a reflection of neither of those parents, but something new entirely, and the increasing use of so-called Grey Slayer units was perhaps one of the most visible outward signs of this transformation. Whereas the Terran-style Tactical Squads -- increasingly less evident in the VI Legion's order of battle as the Great Crusade wore on -- were disciplined cogs in an intricate machine of war, the Grey Slayers were, in effect, compact individual warbands of Space Marines, all but autonomous in their own right in the field: fluid, sure-footed and largely exempt from the reliance on direct commands from above. They were expected to deal with myriad challenges on their own if need be, and above all to close with the enemy on their own terms; to seek and destroy. It had also been observed that while in battle the Grey Slayers preferred to unleash their weapons on the run rather than stand off and lay down fire if possible. They were always advancing to come to grips with the foe in an impetuous but also highly aggressive style of battle far outside the methodical dictates of the Principia Belicosa, which had both its risks as well as its rewards. Post-Heresy In 999.M41, the 13th Great Company, which had been lost in the Warp for ten standard millennia, finally re-emerged into the material realm from the Eye of Terror during the 13th Black Crusade, fighting against Abaddon the Despoiler and his Forces of Chaos. It has been observed on a handful of occasions that the 13th Company's organisation departs heavily from even the Space Wolves' norms, due to the lack of reinforcements resupplying the company, the inability to train members in specialist roles, the lack of heavy equipment and new armoured vehicles, and the effect of having to exist within the heart of the Eye of Terror these last 10,000 Terran years while still remaining uncorrupted by Chaos (though time does pass differently within the Immaterium). The core of a 13th Company warband are the Grey Slayer war-packs. Similar to the Space Wolves Chapter's present-day Grey Hunters, they fulfill the same role as their counterparts within a standard Space Wolves Great Company, but each Slayer is far and away a superior fighter to his Grey Hunter equivalent. This is no surprise to Imperial observers, as in the 13th Great Company's case, the normal flow of new recruits into a Great Company has been cut off, making the progression from Grey Hunter to Wolf Guard impossible. The 13th Great Company has adopted an ad hoc structure, often separating men into specialised units that support one another, in the manner of a pack of wolves on the hunt. The core of this force remains the equal of the elite elements of many other armies. Unit Composition *'1 Huscarl (Sergeant)' *'9-19 Space Marines' Dedicated Transport *'1 Rhino Armoured Personnel Carrier' Wargear *'Power Armour' *'Bolt Pistol' *'Combat Blade or Chainsword' *'Frag Grenades' *'Krak Grenades' Optional Wargear *'Bolter' *'Combat Shield' *'Heavy Chainsword' *'Power Weapon (Any type)' For every five Grey Slayers, one Astartes may choose one of the following options instead of those listed previously: *'Combi-Weapon' *'Power Fist' *'Lightning Claw' *'Hand Flamer' *'Plasma Pistol' *'1 Grey Slayer may take a Nuncio Vox' *'1 Grey Slayer may take a Legion Vexilla' Optional Wargear (Huscarl Only) *'Artificer Armour' *'Power Fist' *'Lightning Claw' *'Frost Blade' *'Thunder Hammer' *'Hand Flamer' *'Plasma Pistol' *'2 Lightning Claws (As replacement for Bolt Pistol and Close Combat Weapon)' *'Melta Bombs' Sources *''The Horus Heresy - Book Seven: Inferno'' by Alan Bligh (Forge World Series), pp. 38, 84, 86, 230-231 *''White Dwarf'' 283 (UK), "Index Astartes: Children of the Night, the 13th Great Company" by Andy Hoare, "Mark of the Wulfen" and "Night of the Wulfen", pp. 58-61 *''White Dwarf'' 282 (US), "Mark of the Wulfen: Matt Hutson's Wulfen Force" *''White Dwarf'' 245 (UK), "Lone Wolves", pp. 38-39 es:Ejecutores Grises Category:G Category:History Category:Imperial History Category:Imperium Category:Space Marines Category:Space Wolves